HC Deb 03 March 1999 vol 326 c803W
Mr. Duncan Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average time allocated for an interview with a personal adviser under(a) the New Deal for Lone Parents and (b) the Single Gateway to benefit. [74349]

Angela Eagle

Under the New Deal for Lone Parents, the average time allowed for an interview with a personal adviser is one hour.

Due to the diverse nature of the caseload and the individual requirements of clients, the length of time required to conduct an interview under the Single Gateway will vary from case to case. One of the reasons for piloting the Single Gateway is to gain an understanding of the average time needed to conduct meaningful interviews.